Category Archives: Basketball

For his outstanding play in Metro Athletic Conference action this season, Richland College basketball team’s Thomas Davis, a sophomore from Lufkin, was recently named to the First Team All-Conference team while teammate Ricky Roberts, a sophomore from Clarksville, earned a Third Team All-Conference nomination.

During a season in which the T-Ducks played 17 of its 19 nonconference game against Division I scholarship programs, Davis and Roberts’ play was outstanding. Davis finished the season averaging 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while also shooting 45.6 percent from the field. Roberts was Richland College’s second-leading scorer at 8.7 points per game. He also averaged 6.7 rebounds and one block per game.

In addition to Davis and Roberts, T-Ducks’ James Montue and Nathan Smith earned Honorable Mention while Ben Goodman and Adam Dirlbeck earned the Chancellor’s Award and Commissioner’s Award – both academic honors.

Fifteen missed free throws was the difference in the Richland College basketball team advancing in the Metro Athletic Conference tournament last week when the T-Ducks lost, 54-52, to Brookhaven College in the first round.

The T-Ducks, who finished the season stronger than it began, ended the season with a 3-26 overall record.

The Richland College basketball team’s regular season came to an end on Saturday, Feb. 19 after a tough 51-49 defeat to Cedar Valley College. The loss marked the fifth time this season that the T-Ducks lost a game by less than five points.

Richland, however, will still participate in the conference tournament this week, according to T-Duck coach Jon Felmet.

“Just like every year around this time, the slogan is: ‘who knows what will happen,’ ” explained Felmet, who said prior to Saturday’s game that more than like his team will be the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament when it plays on Wednesday. “If a team can get hot right now … that’s a good thing for this team since they have been through so much adversity, and still stayed the course and continued to work.”

Despite the loss to Cedar Valley College, the T-Ducks’ play is evidence that their hard work has paid off as of late. Prior to Saturday’s loss, the T-Ducks proved they can compete in this league after they had a huge 64-57 win over North Lake College on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Making the win more impressive was the fact that Richland trailed 14-3 to start the game and 36-23 at halftime. However, a 14-0 run to begin the second half gave the T-Ducks a 37-36 lead and momentum in a game that went back and forth until Richland’s execution down the stretch sealed the victory.

The T-Ducks win over North Lake College at the time was their second in the past four games. The only loss during that stretch was in overtime (69-64) to Brookhaven.

“I’m proud to have these guys here, and I’m proud of what they have accomplished,” Felmet said, “not just on the floor, but the character they have shown throughout the year.”

Nothing has come easy for the Richland College basketball team this season.

After having played a tough non-conference schedule, the T-Ducks welcomed Metro Athletic Conference play when Richland opened league action on Jan. 15 on the road against Eastfield.

Against Eastfield on Saturday, Jan. 15, the T-Ducks jumped out to a quick 15-5 lead, however, the No. 12-ranked Harvesters were too much for Richland as they eventually grabbed a 43-36 halftime lead, never relinquished it.

The T-Ducks showed much fight as they cut the lead to within four with less than three minutes left in the game but would not get any closer.

Thomas Davis led the T-Ducks in scoring with 23 points, followed by Ricky Roberts’ 16 and Sentro Burns’ 16.

Davis also led the charge against Brookhaven on Wednesday, Jan. 18 with 23 points in a close, hard-fought 72-70 loss that came down to the wire.

In an evenly-played contest, Richland led Brookhaven 33-32 at halftime, only to increase its lead to 58-46 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game. However, Brookhaven responded with a 24-10 run to take a two-point lead with under 15 seconds left in the game.

Richland’s Burns eventually hit a tough shot to tie the game with just over one second to go. But, after a few timeouts and less than a second left in regulation, Brookhaven won the game after a full-court pass was caught under the rim and tipped in for the winning score.

For the T-Ducks, who dropped to 0-3 in conference play after a 106-86 loss to Mountain View on Jan. 22, Javier Soria chipped in 18 points and Roberts scored 13.

The T-Ducks will look to grab its first conference win of the season at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at home against North Lake College.

With just two games left, including Saturday’s matchup against Temple College, before Metro Athletic Conference play begins on Jan. 15 for Richland College, the T-Ducks are looking to build some momentum.

Richland (2-15) enters tonight’s contest 0-2 in 2011, having lost to Collin County Community College and Angelina College – two NJCAA Division I teams.

At one point during the game against Angelina College, Richland trailed by two points (52-50) with less than 10 minutes left in the contest.

Thomas Davis, who leads the T-Ducks in scoring with 12.5 points per game, finished the contest against Angelina College with 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

For sports enthusiasts who are looking to watch some highly competitive basketball games over the holiday break, the Richland College men’s basketball team is set to host its third annual Joe Huey Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, Nov. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 26.

Joining the T-Ducks in competition over the course of two days are Brookhaven College, Mountain View College, Connors State, Southern-Shreveport and Bossier Parish.

Game times are as follows:

Friday, November 26

4 p.m. Brookhaven vs. Bossier Parrish

6 p.m. Mt. View vs. Southern-Shreveport

8 p.m. Richland vs. Connors State

Saturday, November 27

2 p.m. Mt. View vs. Connors State

4 p.m. Brookhaven vs. Southern-Shreveport

6 p.m. Richland vs. Bossier Parish

Cost is $5 per and is free for kids under 12. In addition, coaches’ passes will be available. For more information, contact coach Jon Felmet at 972.238.6244.

About Joe Huey

Joe Huey was an assistant coach at Richland College from 1996-1998. He helped lead the T-Ducks to its first national championship in 1999. He was respected by many coaches within the Dallas-Fort Worth area as he spent 40 years in the teaching and coaching profession. He spent 19 years at Sunset High School. In fact, Micheal Hinojosa, Dallas ISD’s superintendent, was a former player and spoke at Coach Huey’s funeral in 2007. Huey started coaching within the DCCCD at Brookhaven College in 1991 before coming to Richland College with long-time coaching friend, Chester Story, in 1996.

As the Richland College basketball team looks to rebound from a 7-21 season last year, one thing is certain for head coach Jon Felmet’s squad this year: The T-Ducks are deep at each position.

However, in order for the T-Ducks to translate this luxury into success, “the players will need to stay ‘bought in,’ ” Felmet explained. “Our issue last year was that we had several guys who thought their abilities were much higher than Richland College, and they never bought into the work that was expected.”

Although the team is young, this is not an issue with this unit as the T-Ducks open their season tonight – the beginning of a tough non-conference schedule. Each game the T-Ducks play this season to prepare for Metro Athletic Conference play is against a Division I junior college.

“Our fans will see a deep, tough, hard-nosed team,” Felmet said. “Our strength could potentially be in our numbers. We have seen signs of several guys pushing for minutes, which lead to our weakness – consistency. There have been a few guys who have been at the top of the depth chart, at the bottom and middle. The inconsistency is major right now. That happens with young guys, though, and we have 11 of those.”

The T-Ducks also have four returning players from last year in Ricky Roberts of Clarksville, Thomas Davis of Lufkin, Perry Jackson of Milwaukee, Wis. and Matt Brown of Tatum.

Roberts, who red-shirted during the 2009 National Championship season, is expected to bring toughness and leadership in the post while Davis, voted MAC Freshman of the Year last season, will have to step up and show the coaching staff that last season was not a fluke, Felmet says.

Meanwhile, if Jackson, who red-shirted last year, can get past injuries, Felmet expects him to provide toughness on the defensive end of the floor and scoring on the offensive end.

Brown, Felmet describes, is a big, strong physical guard who has done a good job of playing his role in scrimmages leading up to tonight’s opener.

“If these four guys can bring more consistent leadership then the 2010-2011 season will be a fun one,” Felmet said. “If they do not, we will have a roller-coaster season, and the sophomores will look back and say ‘what if’ or ‘I should have.’ ”

The Richland College basketball team’s up and down season came to an end on Wednesday, Feb. 24, when the T-Ducks lost, 85-62, to North Lake College in the opening round of the Metro Athletic Conference tournament.

Richland, which won the NJCAA Division III national championship last year, finished the season with a 7-21 record.

Deionta Mitchell led the T-Ducks in scoring, finishing the season with a 16.3 average. Also averaging double-digit scoring were Thomas Davis at 13.3 and Marcus Rhodes at 12.2, respectively. Davis also led the team in rebounds at 6.5 per game while Thedford Simmons led the T-Ducks in assists and steals with three and two per game, respectively.

Days after winning its third overtime game in Metro Athletic Conference play, the Richland College basketball team lost for a second time to Eastfield College on Saturday, Feb. 13, falling 73-65.

With only two games remaining in the regular season and conference play, the T-Ducks enter their road game on Wednesday, Feb. 17, against Cedar Valley College with a 7-18 overall record and 4-4 conference record.

The T-Ducks, who finish their season at home against North Lake College at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, defeated Cedar Valley College, 82-80, in the teams’ first meeting.